Mammoth WVH & 3 Doors Down joined for a night of post-grunge nostalgia
Creed stopped in Allentown, PA for one of a handful of remaining dates on their Are You Ready? Tour.
Creed frontman Scott Stapp has an instantly recognizable voice, marked by an ability to somehow project the high and low ends of his register at the same time. It’s one that has taken him from the annals of rock idolatry to the Grand Ole Opry.
The production featured the most frenetic light show of 2024 (and we just covered TSO’s Christmas tour). “Bullets” and “Freedom Fighter” opened the show with particularly immersive light-strobing.
“My Own Prison” saw Stapp share vocal duties with guitarist Mark Tremonti. Their harmonies were post-grunge perfection, with both having that melancholy-metal timbre to their voices. Tremoni was recently awarded the title of best guitarist by Guitar Magazine. To celebrate, he gave an enthused fan a guitar from his signature collection—with some help from Santa.
And there was a lot of enthusiasm. A circle pit in the GA section, and fans head-banging hard across the arena. Almost paradoxically to the vibe of the room, Stapp would stop down for minutes at a time. Suddenly, he’d command the room’s full attention with bombastic words of encouragement. Stapp would become a rock and roll Tony Robbins; a Pentecostal preacher of the “human spirit,” encouraging the crowd to let the music hit their soul.
Mammoth WVH and 3 Doors Down kicked off the night. Mammoth is keeping the classic hard rock sound alive. Lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Wolfgang Van Halen has an unmistakable X-factor of a superstar in the making. In the studio, he performs every instrument, but live, he has a band to support his out-of-this-world talent.
3 Doors Down performed an hourlong set, the American flag by their side. Vocalist Brad Arnold is still in fine form. “Landing in London” and “Kryptonite” were packed with LED imagery that made this reviewer think they might be a good fit to play the Sphere in Vegas.
The group’s biggest hit, “One Last Breath,” came in the encore. Acknowledging the viral popularity of the lyrics, the band has merch emblazoned with the pensive line, “I’m six feet from the edge // and I’m thinking maybe six feet ain’t so far down.”
Of course, Creed’s fans have been doing that for years—letting the music hold meaning. It’s almost like a band called “Creed” knew their fans would create an ethos with their music. Because of that, Creed is not “Six feet” from anything. They’re much, much “Higher.”
